December Books

Jan 01, 2008 21:45


1. The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean (282 pp.) - I don't remember the movie Adaptation that well, but I certainly don't feel it did justice to this book. Which is usually my default position anyway. But Orlean manages to capture a kind of cryptic beauty in what is essentially a tale of a redneck criminal, and made me deeply want to possess a flower I have never found particularly charming. If nothing else, she makes you want to be passionate, really deeply passionate about something, anything, even if it's "just" flowers, and that's just great.

2. Virtually Normal by Andrew Sullivan (223 pp.) - As usual, I adore Andrew Sullivan. Here, he presents a number of smartly written, cunningly argued points in which he defends a conservative reason to be for gay marriage. As usual, he has this way of writing about complex issues in such a way that it seems either impossible or mostly unadvisable to disagree with him. And in this battle, that's not such a bad thing.

3. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant (321 pp.) As often happens with books that come highly recommended, I'm not really sure what people saw in this. Which is not to say I didn't enjoy the novel - it was a uniquely feminine perspective of Biblical events which usually, if they include women, only go to show how rotten we are. So for that, and for the creative portrayal of a story you already know the ending to, I appreciated the book. But why everyone said they adored it? Beyond me.

Also reread:

Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins (422 pp.)

books

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